Entertainment – International

Never-before-seen Beatles footage released in Japan

by Tomohiro OSAKI Agence France Presse Tokyo, Japan (AFP) — Beatles fans have hailed the release of never-before-seen footage showing the Fab Four on tour in Japan, following a fierce court battle over the 35-minute video. The silent black-and-white footage of the British band’s only visit to the country in 1966 was recorded by police as a security measure. It shows the musicians descending from a plane in matching kimonos and performing to a rapturous […]

Spanish court orders Shakira to stand trial in tax fraud case

  Barcelona, Spain (AFP) by Mathieu Gorse and Daniel Silva A Spanish court has ordered Colombian music superstar Shakira to stand trial on charges of fraudulently failing to pay 14 million euros in tax, filings showed Tuesday. Prosecutors in Barcelona said in July they would seek a prison sentence of more than eight years against the singer and a fine of nearly 24 million euros ($24 million), after she rejected a plea deal over accusations of […]

Rihanna to headline Super Bowl halftime show

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – Superstar Rihanna will headline the Super Bowl halftime show in February, the main event sponsor Apple Music announced Sunday. The move marks a long-awaited return to performing for the singer, who had previously turned down the gig in protest. “IT’S ON. @rihanna will take the stage for the first ever Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show on 2.12.23,” Apple Music said in a tweet featuring a photo of the musician’s […]

Netflix and Disney poised to shake up TV ad world

New York, United States (AFP) – With the launch of cheaper, ad-supported subscriptions, Netflix and Disney+ are expected to bite into the revenue of traditional television channels as the streaming services look toward continued expansion. After having long-shunned the notion of advertising on its platform, Netflix thisyear accelerated work on just such an offering as inflation prompts consumers to spend less and competition in the streaming television market intensifies. Netflix is expected to launch an […]

Poitier legacy tackled by Oprah in ‘Sidney’

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) -The late Sidney Poitier was at the peak of his Hollywood career when he came under fire from Black activists and intellectuals, accused of playing stereotypical, safe roles for white audiences just as the 1960s civil rights movement was exploding. “Sidney,” the new Apple TV+ documentary out Friday, produced by Oprah Winfrey and featuring A-list talking heads from Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman to Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford, sets […]

Milan Fashion Week opens with a spring in its step

MILAN, Italy (AFP) – Chinese buyers are back, and business is booming — Milan Fashion Week opens Wednesday on an optimistic note, despite the shadows cast by the soaring cost of energy. Almost 70 catwalk shows, and 110 presentations are scheduled over the next six days, featuring the giants of Italian fashion, from Gucci to Fendi, Prada, Versace, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana and Bottega Veneta. The return of a mostly full live programmed in February […]

‘Succession’ and ‘Squid Game’ big winners at television’s Emmys

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) – Dysfunctional family saga “Succession” on Monday took top honors for best drama at the Emmys, television’s biggest night of the year, as “Squid Game” made history when Lee Jung-jae was named best actor, a first for a non-English-language performer. The South Korean social satire about misfits and criminals competing for cash in twisted versions of schoolyard games had also been in the running for the top prize, but the […]

Emmys goes glitzy as Hollywood awards are back in person

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) – Television honored its biggest stars in Los Angeles on Monday with a gowns-and-tuxedos Emmys gala, back at full strength for the first time in the age of Covid-19. Host Kenan Thompson opened the proceedings with a dance number set to a medley of hit TV show themes, including “Friends” and “Game of Thrones,” before bringing on talk show legend Oprah Winfrey, who lauded “the most successful broadcast medium in […]

‘Squid Game’ in focus as Emmys kick off

by Huw GRIFFITH Agence France-Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — The glitzy Emmy Awards kicked off in Hollywood on Monday with A-listers in their gowns and tuxedos for the first full gala honoring television’s best after several years of Covid-limited productions. Host Kenan Thompson opened the proceedings with a dance number set to a medley of TV show themes, including “Friends” and “Game of Thrones,” before bringing on talk show legend Oprah Winfrey, who […]

Actress Jane Fonda says she has cancer

  Los Angeles, United States (AFP) US actress and activist Jane Fonda announced Friday that she has cancer, and has begun chemotherapy in her battle against the disease. The 84-year-old Oscar winner, a prominent supporter of the Democratic Party, vowed to fight the “very treatable” illness. “I’ve been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and have started chemo treatments,” she wrote on her verified Instagram account. “This is a very treatable cancer. 80 percent of people survive, […]

US rapper A$AP Rocky charged over shooting

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — US rapper A$AP Rocky was charged Monday over an alleged shooting in Hollywood last year. The 33-year-old, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, faces two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office said. Mayers is alleged to have pointed the gun at a one-time friend during an argument in November. In a later confrontation between the two, he is said to have drawn […]

Actor Anne Heche ‘not expected to survive’ after crash: US media

Los Angeles, United States | AFP | US actor Anne Heche is “not expected to survive” after suffering a serious brain injury in a car crash in Los Angeles last week, US media has reported. The fiery crash left Heche, 53, comatose with a “severe anoxic brain injury,” according to a statement from a representative quoted by several outlets on Thursday. “It has long been her choice to donate her organs and she’s being kept […]